If you’ve ever heard the expression ‘what lies beneath,’ you might think of the supernatural thriller starring Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer.
But in the mental health field, this phrase isn’t about ghosts or suspicious spouses – it’s about uncovering the deeper causes behind a person’s symptoms, whether that’s addiction or another mental health issue like depression or anxiety.
Consider this analogy: Imagine someone with a severe toothache who hasn’t slept in days. The pain is so intense that they’ll do almost anything for a single second of relief.
At that moment, it’s nearly impossible to think logically about solutions -they just need a dentist, fast. The beauty of dental pain (if there is such a thing) is that, after a short time in the dreaded chair, the agony can be gone as quickly as it came.
The problem is pulled from its root – a process not unlike what happens in effective addiction treatment (minus the loud drilling, gore, and other unpleasant aspects).
For many seeking help for addiction, the real struggle isn’t just about stopping a behaviour or substance. It’s about uncovering why it started in the first place. What lies beneath.
The value of trauma-informed care
At our addiction treatment centre in Spain, we see it every day: addiction shaped by painful life experiences – trauma, grief, chronic stress, adverse childhood events, or long-standing, unresolved emotional pain.
Historically, traditional treatment models focused solely on symptom management, abstinence, and willpower. But current research and lived experience show us something essential:
If trauma remains unaddressed, addiction often returns. When trauma is safely explored and processed as part of treatment, recovery becomes truly sustainable and relapse is much less likely.
That’s why, at Camino Recovery, trauma-informed care is at the core of what we do – not just an optional extra or ‘nice to have.’
This approach can make the difference between someone finding a meaningful and lasting recovery or reverting to unhealthy behaviours in the future.
This takes us back to our ‘bad tooth’ analogy. A painful tooth always returns if left untreated. It’s the same with unresolved trauma. Both need to be addressed at the root.
Why are trauma and addiction so closely linked?
Gabor Maté describes trauma as not something that happened to you. Trauma is what happens inside you as a result of what happens to you.
Trauma affects the brain, body, and nervous system.
When something traumatic or life-changing occurs – neglect, sudden loss, abandonment, violence, or domestic abuse – the nervous system adjusts for survival, not for long-term health or well-being.
The following adaptations (or symptoms) can often be what drives a person to want to drink, use drugs, gamble, shop, or eat compulsively to escape the unpleasantness of it all.
- Constant hypervigilance (always anxious or on edge)
- Uncontrollable panic when triggered
- Emotional shutdown or numbness
- Persistent shame and self-judgement
- Difficulty regulating emotions
- A continuous need to self-soothe or escape
Trauma and addiction tend to go hand-in-hand, each driving the other.
For traumatised individuals, substance use or other behaviours become an unconscious survival strategy – a way to self-regulate when the nervous system is overwhelmed.
Many clients who come to our rehab centre in Spain may not always know precisely what causes them to drink, use, or act out in ways that don’t serve them.
All they know is that they feel anxious much of the time and are trying to make sense of why they can’t stop engaging in harmful behaviours like drinking or drug-taking.
These are classic trauma responses, which is why healing the root cause, not just the symptoms, is such a transformative approach in addiction recovery.
Healing the root: Why trauma therapy is essential in recovery
Treating addiction without addressing the root cause is like taking painkillers for a rotten tooth and hoping the problem will go away on its own. It simply doesn’t work, at least not in the long term.
Practical, trauma-informed approaches aim to transform recovery from the inside out – a real deep dive into the issues that lie beneath the masking, distracting, and unhelpful coping.
How we treat trauma-related addiction at Camino Recovery
At Camino Recovery, we collaborate with clients to help rewire their nervous systems in a slow and steady manner. Trauma has a way of dysregulating the nervous system, brain, body, and even the spirit.
Our team uses evidence-based approaches combined with experiential (body-based) methods to help individuals find meaningful, lasting recovery, such as:
- EMDR therapy: A highly effective way to treat symptoms of trauma, PTSD, and other mental health conditions. EMDR involves safely unlocking negative memories and emotions stored in the nervous system, allowing the brain to process the experience more effectively.
- Behaviour therapy: Approaches like CBT and DBT help individuals explore and change unhealthy thoughts, behaviours, and beliefs. When unhelpful patterns are changed, individuals experience improved emotional well-being, make healthier decisions, and behave more productively.
- Art therapy: Particularly effective for those experiencing trauma or emotional conflict, art therapy offers opportunities to understand, explore, and resolve issues that may be difficult to talk about.
- Equine therapy: This non-verbal, highly effective approach brings together humans and horses. Horses are deeply attuned to human emotions, and this connection can help individuals in recovery gain insight into themselves and their relationships, allowing them to see beyond their own needs and desires.
At Camino Recovery, we also provide:
- Family programmes
- A comprehensive twelve-step programme
- Group therapy
- Relapse prevention
We help heal the emotional triggers behind addiction
Many people who come to our rehab centre in Spain don’t understand or have little context for what their addiction triggers might be – they only know the urge to use or engage in a particular behaviour feels overwhelming and all-consuming.
We help individuals recognise:
- Attachment wounds, often stemming from early childhood
- Emotional flashbacks tied to unprocessed trauma
- Stress patterns and coping mechanisms
- Painful memories stored in the body
- Relationships and situations that fuel relapse or cravings
The rule of thumb: When triggers are identified and resolved, cravings lose their power, giving those in recovery more agency over their lives.
We help clients rebuild identity and self-worth
Trauma affects not only the body and nervous system but also leaves a profound imprint on the spirit—the essence of what makes you who you are.
It can chip away at your sense of self, beliefs, values, and hope, leading to:
- Low self-esteem
- Feeling ‘not enough’ or ‘broken’
- Problems setting boundaries
- Chronic shame and self-blame
- Fear of abandonment
Trauma-informed treatment helps you rebuild internal safety and self-identity, allowing you to reclaim the parts of yourself lost to addiction.
We help clients create deep safety (internal and external)
Addiction thrives in secrecy, chaos, shame, and isolation. Recovery, by contrast, thrives in:
- Compassion
- Structure
- Emotional support
- Repeated experiences of safety
- Nervous system regulation
At Camino Recovery, we provide a restorative environment designed for trauma and addiction recovery, far from daily pressures and triggers.
Why so many clients come to Spain for trauma and addiction recovery
Many clients travel from the UK, Europe, Ireland, and beyond to begin recovery in Spain. Some common reasons for this include:
- Having a healthy distance from triggers and stress
- Being in peaceful surroundings ideal for trauma treatment
- Warmer climate for nervous system regulation
- Expert-led therapists and trauma specialists
- Discretion and privacy
- A safe, supportive environment to reset and rebuild
A ‘whole person’ approach to recovery allows clients to become more resilient, healthier, calmer, and more connected to themselves and others.
That’s why healing the root, not just the symptoms, can be so transformative for those seeking lasting recovery from addiction.
Next steps
If you (or someone you love) is seeking addiction treatment in Spain, our professional team is here to help.
We offer personalised assessments, trauma-informed care, and bespoke treatment plans tailored to your unique needs and preferences.
Contact us today for further information and support.
Remember, you are not alone. We are in this together.
